Excalibur #123
“Lost & Found”
Writer: Ben Raab
Pencils: Trevor Scott
Inks: Scott Hanna
Colours: Kevin Tinsley
Letters: Richard Starkings & Comicraft
Editors: Frank Pittaresee
Original publication date: August 1998
This week’s guest, writer, critic, and game designer Armaan Babu, helps us find the joy we’ve lost talking Excalibur #123, “Lost and Found,” featuring the extended Calvin Rankin cameo nobody asked for and Meggan saying yes to the dress. Topics include comics publishing in India, the timeless joys of Nightcrawler, and why it might make sense for a shapeshifter to want a wedding dress after all.
On power:
“I believe that Meggan could be happy with a ‘normal’ guy. I don’t believe she could be happy with Brian as that guy. All the good in Brian comes from the generosity of privilege.” -Armaan
On one of our faves:
“Nightcrawler’s got joy, and he’s got romance—not just for his relationships, but for his entire approach to life… I definitely have a better day when I read a good Nightcrawler comic.” -Armaan
On the importance of being nice:
“Nightcrawler is one of the nicest characters. Which is such a simple thing… but it’s so rare in a genre that’s always trying to reinvent characters, make them more ‘mature,’ by making them jerks.” -Anna
On apologies:
“I don’t think I’ve ever read a comic where Brian has satisfactorily made up for all the ways he’s been a bad boyfriend.” -Armaan
On constraints:
“Nothing happens in this book because nothing is allowed to happen.” -Mav
On leadership:
“Kurt is happier not being the leader. He’s happier being everyone’s friend, and not having to make the hard calls.” -Armaan
On dresses:
“I think that for a shapeshifter, there is something meaningful about having a wedding dress, a physical, permanent memento of that day.” -Armaan
Want more Armaan Babu?
Armaan Babu is a theater professional, pop culture critic, and game designer. He writes comics reviews at ComicsXF, and has also publishes essays with Shelfdust.
He is one half of Weave Games, which recently debuted Love is on the Cards – a two-player TTRPG about making your own holiday rom-com, just the way you want it.
He is obsessed with the different ways stories can be told, and considers it a bonus if that includes absurdity – so loving comics, particularly X-Men comics, was an inevitability.
You can find him on X/Twitter @ArmaanBabu
And as usual:
You can find Anna on Twitter (@peppard_anna) and at Sequential Scholars (@seqscholars).
You can find Andrew on Twitter (@ClaremontRun) and at Sequential Scholars.
You can find Mav on Twitter (@chrismaverick) and on his podcast, VoxPopcast (@VoxPopcast).
Enjoy!
-GGW Team